


Unfortunately, I’m Not a Poet

by Kinkshame



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, Arranged Marriage, Clans, Duelling, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Star-crossed, background bokuaka - Freeform, for spice, pretty much every character shows up at some point - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27076300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kinkshame/pseuds/Kinkshame
Summary: Marriage is expected, but falling in love is unheard of. And if one happens to fall in love, well good for them, but it better not be with a member of a rival clan.(AKA Oikawa and Suga are prominent members of rival clans but decide to fall in love with each other anyways because they r stupid)
Relationships: Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y’all!!! This is a fantasy AU so things are gonna function a bit different. I try my best to explain how the system of power works in the exposition of this chapter, but if there’s any confusion, I lay it all out in the end of chapter notes. Thanks for reading!

It’s often said that violent storms are followed by pleasant weather. Oikawa’s opinion on this idea is somewhat contrarian, as he believes this philosophy to be something akin to a placebo effect. The weather following a harsh storm isn’t particularly pleasant, it just seems to in comparison. After all, it’s nicer than the storm, isn’t it? It’s this line of thinking that leads him to believe the world’s current system of power isn’t as great as people hail it to be, it’s just better than the hundred years of carnage that came before it. A time long before he was born, the political climate was less of a system, and more of a bloody free for all, but wars, no matter how awful, don’t last forever, and eventually something new emerged from the ashes of what once was. Now, the world is split into various territories, big and small, that work with or against each other in matters of production, economics, and trade. At the helm of each territory, sits a group of tight knit nobles who live and rule together, each group having one person as its head, a “king” of sorts. Oikawa sits alone in his room, a member of one of the world’s most powerful ruling clans, and although Hajime Iwaizumi is its king, Oikawa is its poster boy. 

The brunette idly twirls a quill between his fingers, nothing but a dim candle light to illuminate his room. Despite the darkness, it isn’t that late, after all, it’s autumn. He enjoys the quiet sometimes, but it never lasts for long. Even now, he can hear the chatter and laughter of his clanmates throughout the house. He perks his ears as he hears excited footsteps grow closer to his room. Closer, closer, closer…

“Oikawa!” Issei Matsukawa swings open the door without knocking, a behavior not too uncommon in this household. “I know I already asked you earlier but I think you-”

“No.” Oikawa sighs, placing his quill on the table. 

"Oikawa, you have to go to this ball!" Matsukawa pleads, tugging at Oikawa’s shirt sleeve in an attempt to get him up from his desk. 

Oikawa cocks his head, a familiar condescending smirk on the edges of his lips. "Why? So you can go socialize?"

"Duh! That’s what things like this are for." Matsukawa crosses his arms, looking expectantly at an unmoved Oikawa. "Listen, there's going to be a bunch of important people there, politicians, scholars, if you make a good impression it could get you places." 

Oikawa chuckles, stretching back in his chair. "I’m the resident ‘prince’ of the Aoba Johsai clan, you really think I need to keep up appearances at some silly ball to get places?"

"Then if you won’t go for the reputation go for the other things!” Matsukawa flails his arms, frustrated at the other’s stubbornness. “Free food, live orchestra,” An lightbulb goes off in Matsu’s head, “Pretty boys…”

"Pretty boys, you say?" A grin spreads ear to ear on Oikawa’s face.

"Pretty boys.” Matsu nods, expression matching Oikawa’s.

"Alright, fine, I'll go,” Oikawa rises from his desk, stretching his arms above his head, “but only because of the Pretty boys."

"I think you're coming because you love me."

"Nope, pretty boys."

"Whatever." Matsu hums, rolling his eyes. He looks Oikawa up and down, critical of his appearance. "Get yourself ready, and do it quick, we have to leave soon if we’re gonna be on time."

"What do you mean? I am ready!" Oikawa feigns offense, dramatically pressing his hand to his chest.

"We're going to a ball, not a brothel." With that final remark, Matsu leaves, triumphant smile on his lips.

"You’re welcome!" Oikawa calls after him. He sits there for a moment longer, before digging through his excess of clothes in search of something to his liking. Once he was satisfied with what he found, he changed, taking the time after to thoroughly examine himself in the mirror. He looks at his reflection for a long while, trying to see what others say they do, but, like every other time, it’s fruitless. He sighs, and heads downstairs.

In the center of the dining room, papers sprawled out across the polished oak table, sits Iwaizumi, who is seemingly drowning in the responsibilities that come with being clan head. His eyes flicker up as Oikawa enters the room.

“You’re awfully dressed up,” Iwaizumi briefly shuffles the papers in his hands before putting them down. “Did Matsukawa convince you to go to that ball?”

“Little bastard always gets what he wants.” Oikawa chuckles, making himself comfortable in one of the chairs. “Speaking of, why aren’t you coming? He said there are supposed to be important people there.”

“Busy.” Iwaizumi goes back to his papers, taking them in his ink stained hands.

About a minute of silence passes before Matsu thumps downstairs, absolutely ecstatic. “Let’s go let’s go let’s go!” He all but drags Oikawa to his feet.

“Yeah yeah,” Oikawa rolls his eyes as he shakes Matsu off of him. As the two turn around to leave, Iwaizumi looks up from his papers again.

“Stay safe, you two.” He says, “And Oikawa, behave yourself.”

Oikawa giggles, “Of course, Iwa.” And with a wink, he’s gone, Matsu following behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The carriage ride to the ball isn’t too bad. It would have been worse if Oikawa had taken the hour-long trip alone, but he has Matsu there to keep him occupied. His company doesn’t extend beyond that though, because as soon as they arrive, Matsu darts off to go socialize with his friends from other clans. Oikawa isn’t necessarily left alone though, as person after person approaches him to make dry conversation in attempt to get in good favors with Aoba Johsai’s ‘prince’. Oikawa takes it all in stride, after all, he’s always been a charmer, and this sort of thing is expected. All this being said, he isn’t enjoying himself.

He’s midway through discussing the weather with someone who’s name he didn’t ask when, from across the ballroom, the figure of a boy catches his eye. He steps into the light, revealing silver hair, and a smile more impressive than the orchestra playing behind him. Oikawa is transfixed.

Without peeling his eyes off this mystery-man, Oikawa excuses himself from the conversation, and makes his way over to the only other person here he knows.

“Matsu,” He says in a low voice, tugging at his friend’s sleeve, “Matsu, who is that boy?”

“What boy?”

“The one I’m looking at.” Oikawa scoffs, earning a glare from Matsu, “The one with the little mark under his eye, he’s kinda to the right…”

“Oh,” Matsu spots him, “That’s Koshi Sugawara. I think you may have met briefly before, you really gotta get better with names.”

“We couldn’t have met,” Oikawa hums, “I wouldn’t forget a face like that. And the name… well, now that I think about it, it _does_ sound familiar.” Oikawa racks his brain for where he could have heard it.

“Well it oughta.” Matsu grunts, cutting of Oikawa’s thought process, “He’s Karasuno.”

 _Well shit_ , Oikawa thinks, _Karasuno, huh?_ Well, just cause their clans are notoriously rivals doesn’t mean they can’t talk, right? If anything, it’d be good to be friendly.

With that line of thought, Oikawa thanks Matsu, and makes his way over to the side of the ballroom Sugawara is standing. He doesn’t want to seem too direct, so he drifts in and around that direction for a couple minutes before “accidentally” finding himself right beside his target.

Oikawa clears his throat to draw in Sugawara’s attention, “This is a lovely venue, don’t you think?”

“I’d say so,” Sugawara nods before extending his hand. Oikawa shakes it, noting how soft the other boy’s skin feels. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Oikawa.”

Oikawa would be lying if he said that didn’t take him off guard, even still, his composure remains. “I see you already know my name.”

“I make it a point to keep tabs on others,” Sugawara hasn’t stopped smiling. Oikawa knows it’s for performance, but god, it’s gorgeous. “Especially my rivals.”

“Calling me your rival right off the bat, huh?” Oikawa cocks his head, a playful smirk drawing at his lips, “And yet you’re still talking to me, I must be pretty special.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Sugawara shuts him down, all without changing his tone of voice, “But there’s nothing wrong about conversing with a member of a rival clan, especially at an event like this.”

Oikawa senses an opportunity. “Then there shouldn’t be anything wrong about dancing with one, either.” He outstretches his hand in invitation.

“No, I suppose there shouldn’t be.” With that, Sugawara takes his hand, and the two waltz their way to the center of the ballroom.

Their position isn’t an intimate one, it’s cordial, even still, Oikawa can’t help but savor the feeling of his hand against Sugawara's waist as they dance in circles, moving in rhythm with the orchestra. No words are being said, but their eye contact remains unbroken. Oikawa isn’t the type to get flustered, as he’s been around the block once or twice, yet he finds himself so overwhelmed at Sugawara’s gaze that he looks at his own shoes instead.

“Eyes up, Oikawa.” Suga hums, “You’re never supposed to look at your feet during a waltz.”

“I know that.”

“Then why are you doing it?”

Defeated, Oikawa looks back up to meet Suga’s gaze. He feels the air leave his lungs again.

Oikawa goes the rest of the dance without looking back down, and although they didn’t talk any further, he feels as if he’d gotten to know Suga better, even if just a little. The music halts for a minute and the orchestra prepares for the next song.

“Care for another dance?” Oikawa asks, fully prepared to do this for the remainder of the ball.

Instead, Suga shakes his head. “I’ve got other obligations to attend to.” He steps back, bowing slightly, “It was lovely meeting you, though.”

Despite his best efforts, Oikawa appears outwardly offended. Never once in his life has he been denied a dance. Before he can barter, Sugawara is back among the crowd, chatting idly with some random bald guy. Oikawa elects to sulk for the rest of the night, bitter that he couldn’t carry on his time spent with Suga. Matsu, albeit after some time, notices this behavior.

“Quit being a downer,” He nags, “Iwa told you to behave.”

“Hmph,” Oikawa crosses his arms, “I’m behaving just fine.”

“Taking a tone with everyone who tries to talk to you isn’t behaving.” Matsu pries Oikawa’s arms from his chest, forcing him into a less defensive stance, “What’s gotten into you? You’re being a dick.”

Oikawa sticks his nose in the air and says nothing, electing to stare into the distance instead. Matsu takes this opportunity to follow his gaze, nearly choking on his own spit when he sees who Oikawa’s attention is on.

Matsu giggles. “Sugawara.”

Oikawa snaps his head to look at Matsu, “Huh?”

“I knew it!” Matsu’s giggling intensifies as he bounces from foot to foot, “You have a crush! Oikawa’s got a crush!” He teases. 

In an instant, Oikawa is dragging Matsu from the ballroom, deathgrip around his forearm, “ _Would you shut up?_ ”

“I’m right, aren’t I?!”

“We’re going home.”

“We can go home if you want.” Matsu’s smug tone is borderline infuriating, “But that won’t change the fact that you, the most eligible bachelor on the planet earth, got all googly eyed for someone from Karasuno!”

Oikawa pulls Matsu into the carriage, slamming the door. “Would you lower your voice?”

“So I’m right?” He’s incessant, “I know I am, there’s no point in-“

“ _If_ you were right,” Oikawa snaps, “Which you are _not_ , you wouldn’t tell anyone… would you?”

Matsu shakes his head, a huge grin on his face.

“Then just shut up about it.” Oikawa lets go of his arm, and turns to look out the window as the carriage begins moving. Matsu takes that action as confirmation enough. Oikawa watches the lamp posts go by, a certain boy still in his head, and at this moment, he isn’t sure if he’s happy or irreparably pissed that he ended up going to that ball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically after a long ass war, the world got separated into territories, and each territory is ruled by a “clan” that lives together and functions as a family unit. Each clan has a head, or a king of sorts, and marrying within one’s own clan isn’t allowed. There are political/economic alliances between some clans, and rivalries between others. If u have any other questions I’ll answer those bad boys in the comments. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for the comments and kudos they mean a lot to me!

By the time the two get home, they’d been sitting in silence for a while, although Oikawa can practically hear Matsu’s grin. The carriage comes to a halt in front of the estate, the boys tip the driver, and go on their way. As they approach the house, Oikawa glances to his right at Matsu multiple times to check if he’s stopped smiling, of course, which he still hasn’t.

“Wipe that grin off your face.” Oikawa huffs, speeding up to distance himself from the other.

“Why?” Matsu taunts, “What’s wrong with just being happy?”

The brunette rolls his eyes. “You just love drama.”

“So do you.” Matsu speeds up, matching Oikawa’s pace. “You wanna know what I think?”

“Not really, no.”

“I think you should sneak out.”

The suggestion hits Oikawa like a brick, stopping him in his tracks. “Excuse me?”

“Sneak out and visit him!” Matsu clasps his hands together, convinced of his own genius. “It’ll be fun! Just like in that one play!”

With that, Oikawa starts to walk again, going twice as fast as he had before in a desperate attempt to leave Matsu far enough behind him that maybe, _maybe_ he’d stop talking.

But of course, Matsu’s persistence is relentless. “It’ll be easy!” He bobs over Oikawa’s shoulder. “It’s not like Iwaizumi’ll stop you from leaving, hell, I doubt he’d even ask where you’re going. All you gotta do is make sure not to get caught when you’re actually there. Oh, and make sure not to leave any clothes over there.”

Oikawa turns crimson at the implication. “ _Unbelievable!_ ” He practically gasps.

“Oh _please_. Your reputation didn’t come out of thin air, you know.”

“My reputation is none of your business.” By now, the two are just outside the door. “I’m going to open this door and you are going to _zip it._ ”

“Whatever.” Matsu reaches in front of Oikawa to open the door himself. “It’s not like anyone is going to be there to see us come in. Everyone is usually off doing their own thing around this time of night.”

Matsu opens the door. Lo and behold, nearly half of the clan is sitting in the common room, a pile of poker chips between them. Fantastic.

“You guys are back early.” Akira peers from behind his cards, a dwindling pile of chips before him.

“We didn’t expect you back until after midnight.” Yahaba adds, seemingly already having folded on the current round of betting.

Oikawa plays it cool, smiling as he walks further into the room. “Ah, it wasn’t anything that interesting, I got tired of all the attention.”

“You never get tired of attention.” Akira cocks his eyebrow, silently raising the bet as he does.

“Maybe I just wanted to be back here.” Oikawa slinks up to them, noticing that Matsu has already joined the game, having dealt himself in. “With you guys.”

“Flattery won’t work either.” Kindaichi chuckles, meeting Akira’s raise.

Oikawa really doesn’t appreciate where this is going. In a decisive move to draw attention away from the ball, he peers over Kyotani’s shoulder. “What an awful hand you’ve got.” Oikawa remarks. “Bluffing, hm?”

His plan works. In an instant, Kyotani’s hand is scattered over the playing table and he’s standing up, staring down Oikawa, who stands unphased, if not a little prideful that he’d managed to so effortlessly push the right buttons.

The cool expression is short lived though, as it takes less than a second for Kyotani to move his chair and stomp towards Oikawa.

“Kyo, stop it.” A voice comes from Iwaizumi’s study down the hall, and it’s enough to stop the building conflict in its tracks. Kyotani sits back down, collects his hand, and ultimately folds, albeit begrudgingly.

A moment of silent tension is broken by Matsu, who smiles up at Oikawa. “Want me to deal you in?”

“Aw, no thanks.” Oikawa smiles, artificial and bright. “Thanks though.”

With that, Oikawa retires to his room. Hours pass filled mindless thumb twiddling and daydreaming, save for one chess game with Iwa, which ends in a draw. When it’s time for Oikawa to sleep, he can’t seem to keep his eyes shut. Visions of a refreshing silver haired boy dance through his head as he tosses and turns. To be quite honest, he’s never experienced such bullshit before. He’s never dwelled on someone like this, especially not someone he’d only seen for a few seconds. And up until a couple hours ago, he had _never_ been denied a dance. He feels physically ill at the next thought that comes to mind.

_Maybe Matsukawa had a good idea._

He dwells on it for a bit longer, dancing back and forth between his desires and his own pride, weighing the importance of the two against one another. Ultimately he finds himself getting out of bed and putting his clothes back on, this time layering a coat over them to keep out the chill that creeps in late at night. 

He really can’t believe what he’s doing.

He leaves his room and weaves through the dark hallways, taking special care not to step on floorboards he knows are creaky. It’s not like anyone will stop him from leaving, but he’d rather spare himself from having to come up with an excuse if anyone were to catch him and ask. He makes it out the door without any interference, pulling his coat tight around his shoulders as the feeling of late fall bites at his skin. Pace quick, head down, he makes his way to the gates and calls for a carriage, which arrives shortly. The warmth inside feels nice, allowing him to loosen the grip he’s been holding on his coat. The driver looks over her shoulder at him, expecting a location.

Oikawa takes a deep breath, he didn’t really think about this part. “Karasuno. The Karasuno estate.”

The driver raises her eyebrow, but says nothing as she turns back and clicks the whip, signaling the horse to be on its way. Oikawa knows she won’t say anything to anyone, aside from maybe the fellow drivers, still, it’s nerve wracking.

The journey isn’t quick, a little over an hour, but it’s smooth, and they pass no one on their way. Despite the silence and overall lack of judgement from the driver, Oikawa feels a knot grow in his stomach as he questions why he's even doing this. He doesn’t necessarily have a plan, or anything to say. He just knows he wants to see Sugawara, and he’s not used to acting on impulse like this. The carriage grinds to a halt, signaling their arrival.

“Wait here for me.” Oikawa smiles as he tips her.

He truly has no plan in his head. He approaches the estate, sizing up the building, and, lord almighty, he doesn’t know where to start. He sure as hell isn't going to knock on the front door, as he’s heard how protective certain members of Karasuno can get, but he doesn’t know which room is Suga’s either. He laps around the mansion a few times, mulling over the very few options he has.

He decides on the option that’s least likely to get him killed on spot. He’s just gonna guess and then pray _really_ hard. He settles on a room on the first floor, the curtains are drawn, but the glass on the door looks well kept, lacking any smudges.

Oikawa takes a moment to convince himself that this could very well be Sugawara’s room and that he isn’t currently on a suicide mission before holding his breath, and knocking on the window. He waits for someone to emerge, anticipation heavy on his shoulders, but no one does. He takes a few more moments to hype himself up again before making a second attempt, knocking slightly louder this time. He backs up about ten feet, not wanting to scare him by being so close. After a moment, the lock on the window clicks, and they swing open like doors, the curtains still attached to their tops. Oikawa can hardly make out who it is from his position ten feet away, he can only see their night robe flutter in the wind as they try just as hard as he can to see in the dark. He moves a step forward, and the figure begins to take shape. Slender, gentle, and… a woman. 

Oh, Jesus Christ.

The gravity of the situation seems to hit them both at the same time. Oikawa is about to cut his losses and run, but the girl goes completely pale, clamping her hand over her mouth to contain a shriek. The realization of what might happen if she screams comes to him along with a wave of nausea. He extends his hands a little, showing her that he’s not holding anything, and hunches himself over a bit, a subconscious method of appearing smaller and more non threatening to her.

“Hey, hey.” He whispers, trying to sound as calming as possible as he takes a small step towards the window. This backfired though as she only takes a step back further into her room.

“I’m not gonna hurt you!” He approaches her further still, growing frantic. “I’m just, I thought this was Sugawara’s room.”

At the mention of Sugawara’s name, she calms down a little, dropping her hand from her mouth. With that, Oikawa breathes a sigh of relief and walks fully up to the window. Now that he’s close enough, he can make out short blonde hair and wide, anxious brown eyes.

“I didn’t- does he- Suga takes visitors this late at night?” She squeaks, still visibly on edge.

“Not usually, no.” Oikawa manages his brightest, most calming smile yet, trying his best to diffuse the situation. “I’ll leave now. But, if you have any pity, I truly am begging you not to speak of this.”

She falls silent for a moment, as if contemplating what Oikawa said. He anxiously studies her face, hoping to god that she won’t run off to the others as soon as he leaves.

“You’re not here to hurt him right?” She whispers, gripping the windowsill. “You’re not an assassin or- or a criminal or-“

“I assure you, I’m not.” Oikawa forces a giggle, growing more eager to leave by the second. “Now, if you won’t tell anyone, I’ll be going-“ 

“He’s right above the room next to mine.” She blurts out, taking Oikawa completely off guard. “I won’t say anything. I don’t like when the others get mad.”

Oikawa goes to thank the girl, but she’s shut and locked her windows before he can. He stands there in awe for a moment, still contemplating abandoning his mission right then and there. He’s never been on death’s door, but he’s certain he was just within inches of it. Once the nerves subside after a moment, Oikawa becomes elated. He’s just done the impossible. He’s gotten Sugawara’s exact location, and he didn’t get crucified trying. Going home would be a waste at this point. Oikawa takes a step back to size up the room Sugawara is supposedly in. It’s got windows just the same as that girl’s room, but since it’s on the second floor, there’s a balcony as well. He could very well climb it and then knock, but he feels it would be rude to do that, especially considering he’s not supposed to be here in the first place. Instead, he leans down and gathers a handful of pebbles from the grass. He gently tosses one against the window. Two. Three. He’s winding back for a fourth when he sees the doors shift. Out steps Sugawara. Oikawa’s pupils dilate at the sight of him. Under the pale moonlight, his hair seems to shine, and his figure is ethereal as it looms on the balcony over Oikawa, looking helplessly up at him. His hands are slender and quick as they go to grip the railing, allowing Sugawara to peer down at his visitor. 

In the dark like this, his eyes shine like crystals, and amidst the sound of gentle autumn wind, his voice comes like music. “Oikawa, is that you?”

Oikawa stays silent for a moment longer, basking in the other’s presence. He has to say something eventually though, or else he would have come here for nothing. “Did I wake you?”

“No,” Sugawara shakes his head, leaning down to extend his hand in invitation. “Yachi did. You terrified her.”

“Oh.” Oikawa swallows. He hesitantly takes Sugawara’s hand, once again noting its warmth, especially compared to the bitter air. With this support, he hoists himself up onto the balcony. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t think she’d tell anyone.”

“She said she wouldn’t tell anyone besides me.” Sugawara hums, sitting down on a bench pressed on the balcony’s far left side. “Why have you come here?”

Oikawa is at a loss. Why _did_ he come here? What does he expect from this?

“I never got the chance to give you a proper goodbye.” He plays it smooth, as always. “I wouldn’t want to leave someone as pretty as you without one.” 

Sugawara giggles, not in a genuine manner, but in a cordial one. Still, Oikawa detects a hint of color on the other’s cheeks, although it could very well be wishful thinking.

“Would you like to sit down?” Sugawara pats the spot beside him on the bench as an invitation. Oikawa accepts, still sitting far enough away from Sugawara that they don’t touch. 

The silence is maddening to Oikawa, and it seems that Sugawara will look anywhere but his face. A gust of wind blows over the pair, causing Suga to shiver. Oikawa takes no time at all offering him his coat, which he reluctantly accepts, thanking him profusely. They go back to silence after that, although Oikawa is quite content with enjoying the sight of Sugawara all wrapped up in his coat. He’s done this before. Multiple times. Offered pretty boys his coat when it’s cold, complimented their smiles, given them shallow compliments on the appealing aspects of their appearances. He knows very well what to do next. He continues to study Sugawara’s face, making sure not to look away whenever the other looks up at him. He wants it to be apparent that he was looking, he wants the message to come across clear. Slowly, he closes the space between their bodies. First their shoulders, then their legs, then their sides. Now they’re pressed against one another, the shared body heat doing wonders against the cold. Still, Sugawara doesn’t seem to be picking up on it. He’s not reciprocating anything, and he continues to look away. Oikawa knows what comes next. Matsukawa really was right, he’s reputation didn’t hatch from thin air.

Subtle, yet decisive, Oikawa moves his hand to cover Sugawara’s. This gets the other’s attention. He moves his head to look at Oikawa, their eyes locking as the moment moves into place. Before their gaze breaks, Oikawa moves forward, pressing his lips to Sugawara’s. His lips are soft, softer than usual, and he could really drown in their warmth. Two hands move up to sit on Oikawa’s chest, but instead of pulling him closer, they push him away. It’s a gentle shove, but it shocks Oikawa nonetheless. 

He backs up to where he was initially. Sugawara swipes his hand over his mouth, a look something akin to offense on his face. His face glows crimson though, and so does Oikawa’s. 

Judging by the indigent look on Sugawara’s face, Oikawa expects to be smacked or spit on next. Instead Sugawara readjusts his posture, and shakes his head.

“Don’t do that.” He scolds, his voice still soft. “I won’t be made into one of your conquests.”

Oikawa is at a loss for words. He’s never been flat out rejected like that, no less called out on his habits in the same sentence. “I wasn’t-“

“Yes you were.” Despite his assertiveness, Sugawara’s tone isn’t the least bit aggressive, quite the opposite actually. “You have a reputation. Yes you were. Don’t do that.”

Oikawa, having been completely shut down, bites his lip and nods. He waits a moment before getting up, moving to climb back down the balcony. He’s got one leg over the railing when Sugawara speaks again.

“I didn’t say you had to leave.” 

Oikawa freezes. “Isn’t that what you implied?”

“I want to be seen as an equal to you.” Sugawara gets up and all but hoists Oikawa back to his side of the balcony. “That’s what I implied. And you’re interesting to talk to.”

Oikawa sits back down, keeping his distance from the other this time. Sugawara looks at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something.

Oikawa clears his throat, “How was the rest of the ball?”

“Delightful, actually.” Suga smiles, so willing to shift the tone of the conversation. “You left before the fun arrived.”

“The fun?” 

“The Fukurodani clan came.” Sugawara explains, seemingly delighted at the memory, “All of them.”

“All of them?” Oikawa actually laughs at the idea. He’s never met them in person, but he’s heard stories, and he can only imagine what he missed out on. “I heard their leader is something to behold.”

“He’s delightful to be around.” Suga nods, “And, despite what people say, he’s intelligent. Maybe not book smart, but he’s smart with people, he brings out the best in his clan. Kind of like how I’ve heard you to be.”

Oikawa, in his classic dramatic nature, presses his hand to his chest. “I’m plenty booksmart!”

“See, you went and took a compliment and focused on the negative.” Sugawara laughs, a sound Oikawa could become drunk listening to. “But, if you insist you’re so book smart, then… well, then what’s your favorite book?”

Oikawa crosses his arms over his chest, confident in his answer. “Atlas Shrugs.”

“First of all, it’s Atlas _Shrugged_ ,” Sugawara continues giggling as if this is the funniest thing he’s ever heard, “And that book sucks ass.”

Oikawa is shocked by Sugawara’s use of foul language, having previously viewed him as dignified to the core. “ _Ass?!_ ”

With this, the conversation is established. The two spend hours prattling on about books and telling different stories they’ve heard about different clans and their members, even telling some of their own. The conversation eventually lulls though, and Oikawa’s cheeks are left aching from how much he’s been smiling.

“How late do you think it is now?” Oikawa says, breathless from this new high he’s on.

“Late.” Sugawara sighs, so much more genuine then he had been when the night began. “You should probably be going now. And pray that Daichi doesn’t catch you on the way out, the moment he finds Tooru Oikawa sneaking around the Karasuno estate is the moment he kills Tooru Oikawa.”

“Not to worry.” Oikawa stands up, moving towards the railing. “The moment Iwaizumi finds me sneaking around the Karasuno estate is also the moment he kills Tooru Oikawa.”

Sugawara laughs, and bids him goodbye. Oikawa waves, and climbs down the balcony, careful not to dirty himself. He makes his way back to the carriage, and it’s a struggle to wipe away the stupid grin he’s got on his face before getting in. The ride back is better than the ride there, although it’s filled with the dame silence, his demeanor is heightened. His heart tightens in his chest every time he thinks of the way Sugawara laughed with him, and his mood is too good for him to think of what odds their political standings put them at. It’s there in the back of his mind, but as he walks back into his home and flops into bed, he’s perfectly content with his little spot on cloud nine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> weekly update schedule cause my dick is huge


End file.
